Geneva: and a tale of Marrakesh by Design & the Salon du Livre

It was a sunny day in Marrakech when I went to Geneva to attend the Salon du Livre.  Morocco was the guest of honor. So exciting!

There were pretty girls in Moroccan dress discreetly reminding us at every corner.

Here's a detail of the embroidered Moroccan caftan one was wearing.

Master craftsman had been brought over from Morocco to share on Moroccan design.  One made beautiful turned wood with his feet!  (Note to self: train feet to get craftier!) 

Here's a closeup of some of the sublime hand carved Moroccan plasterwork, known as geps, that was on display.

There were all kinds of exhibitions and artist installations, and even a Moroccan tea salon.  The very smart Moroccan Minister of Tourism Lahcen Haddad spoke to the press and made Moroccans (and pretend Moroccans like myself) proud.  

(And I even spoke on the radio, too:-))

But perhaps most lovely of all, there was a Moroccan book pavilion filled with stunning art and, well, books -- both new and centuries old.

But the book that made me the most shy and happy to see, was my own, Marrakesh by Design.  Oh!  It was displayed in front of Moroccan carpets :-)

PS I am coming on my book tour to the US this very week!  If you are there, I would love to meet up! I hope to posting the schedule tomorrow:-)

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Everywhere: a tale of best friendship

So many heartfelt comments, so many thoughtful emails.  Thank you.  I read and reflected on each and every one.  While I long for more uncomplicated friendships in Marrakesh I still feel very lucky.  Because I have a friend.  Of the very, well, best kind. 

I’ve known her for over 20 years.  We used to work together, we used to live together.  With her I speak a secret language and share an unwritten code.  We wear the same shoe size and have the same dress size.  We were married one month apart and have children the same age.  We finish each other's sentences and laugh at each other's jokes (even the ones that no one else thinks are funny).  She once traveled to another country just to buy me a handbag. 

I tell her everything, everything.    Every hope, every fear.  She makes me braver and she makes me better.

She’s just….the best…best friend.

Images taken yesterday in Geneva.  (I’m at the Geneva Book and Press Fair.  So exciting to see my book, Marrakesh by Design here! )

I would love to hear your stories of your best friends.  Please share.

Marrakesh: and a tale of Spring cleaning

I was thinking that Spring is the time for many things.  Like Spring cleaning.  It's a time to get out our brooms and tackle the debris under the bed and couch.  A time to open the closets and toss the faded¸ dingy, and unused.  

But more than our homes, Spring cleaning should tackle the dust balls that reside in the corners of our minds.  Those dark and wintery ideas that hold us down.  The thoughts that are old, crumpled, and unnecessary like, I’ll never get there,  or she’s so much luckier, or no matter what I do  I will always be overweight.  These thoughts should be tossed in the bin, along with the stained shirt and the broken appliance.

Spring is also the time to get rid of the Only Ifs that keep us tethered and constrained, like If only I had more time, If only I had more money, If only I had more skills. Because really, Only Ifs are just excuses in disguise blocking our path to where we want to go. 

Spring, yes Spring, is the time for possibilities.  And new growth. 

Images of the white rose gardens at Peacock Pavilions in Marrakesh.

PS My book tour for Marrakesh by Design starts tomorrow!  More on that soon but I'll be at the International Fair for Books and Press in Geneva from Wednesday-Friday, April 25-27.  Morocco is the guest of honor and will have its own Moroccan Pavilion.  If you are nearby please come say hello!

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Marrakesh: and a tale of friendships

I was thinking about friendships.  How complex they are and how fragile.  How they must be treated with respect.  I think that the best friendships are a give and take.  They aren't a give-give-give or a take-take-take.  There's some sort of equilibrium.

I long for friends.  Very much.  But recently I find myself questioning some of my friendships -- worried about hidden agendas and saddened by slights.  I’ve been finding solid ground in those friendships that date back years.  But yet I crave new friends with new intimacies and new sharing.  And so I wonder how to best navigate through this place that I’m in. 

I would love to hear your advice or stories of your own friendships.

These two friends have known each other almost since birth and were delivered by the same doctor.

Here they are comparing the doctor's belly button technique:-)

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